Monthly Archives: January 2013

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After researching several logos, both fashion and un-fashion related, I started to sketch my own designs and ideas. I want my design to be quite geometric and abstract to coincide with my abstract and often geometric images. I want my design to be black and white to relate to my photographs and my theme of simplicity until you analyse the image further.

I like the second brand-name image better as I feel it is more distorted and overall more interesting aesthetics. The last image containing to small pictures are possible ideas for a logo to accompany the brand-name. I’m not yet sure if I want to just use the brand-name as the logo itself, or include a small image as well.

The small camera represents the use of photography for the brand, the other represents stairs, which I often photograph to create interesting abstract and geometric photos. I’m not yet decided if I should use a logo as well as a brand-name to be featured on my tshirts. After drawing out some more logos using Adobe Illustrator and Procreate on my iPad I will hopefully decide on one design.

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This mood board features images from the book ‘Tres Logos’ edited by Robert Klanten. I looked through entire book and found my favourite logos and designs and included the ones which I thought were relevant to the creation of my own logo. The font types and styles of the logos will help inspire ideas for my own. This research will help me discover what kind of logos are already out there, and to prevent designing a similar to one that currently exists.

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For the progression of my continuing t-shirt project, we have to design/decide a brand name, logo and strap line as well as the actual t-shirt designs. I’ve looked into several brands relevant to my own brand, relevant in both designs on their t-shirts but also in what sort of area of fashion I wish my brand to be in. This area of fashion is street/skate-wear. By researching and evaluating these logos and brand names, I will hopefully be able to decide on a suitable brand name and logo for my own project.

hype – I really like the font and calligraphic style of this brand, however I’m not so keen on the actual name itself. I feel it is a word that has been over-used as of recent. I will therefore try to make my brand name as original as possible.

HUF – I really like the style of font, simple and quite geometric. I also think the white on a green square works well as a recognisable logo. Colour and font style is something I will focus on for the aesthetics of my brand name and strap line.

Vans – I really like the block-like text of the actual brand-name combined with a coherent strap line and skateboard shaped outline all ties in with the fact that Vans is a skateboarding brand. This makes it obvious to those who buy into the brand and what Vans was originally intended for and what they stand for as a company. This obvious use of imagery and text allows people across the world to recognise the brands intention. Making a logo and strap line so obvious and coherent to the intention of their products is something I will focus on.

Only – This is one of my favourite logos featured as I feel the extreme simplicity and monochromatic colour palette works well with a basic brand name. Whilst the brand name is basic, it gets its point across. Only is the only brand. The only brand you should be interested in and wearing. This is an example of why branding is so important, one word can make a brand by getting its point across in just that one word. I will consider carefully on using one word as my brand name as one word can get your point across without over-complicating things unnecessarily.

Supreme – I’m not so keen on this particular logo due to it being not so creative and interesting as some of the other logos. However the colour palette compliments the brand-name and the message they want to get across. The colour palette of black, red and white provides strong block colours with connotations of powerful meanings. The vibrant red has connotations of power, the black is a classic sleek and ‘expensive’ colour and the white, a pure colour. This combination of colour makes the consumer think of the brand as sleek, noticeable and make the wearer appear like they can afford more expensive clothing. This focus on colour for a logo is an aspect I could focus on for my own logo.

Volcom – I really like the combination of a brand-name and logo, both stylised in the same way so you can recognise both parts when separate as the same company. I also think the monochromatic colour palette works well as it is quite simple, but the symmetric logo with black and white used opposite each other works well as is quite eye-catching.

The Quiet Life – I really like the actual brand-name for this company as I think it is both memorable and very different to a lot of brand-names. However I’m not so keen on their latest logo version. They have had other variations of the aesthetic of the logo, but I do not think this works that well. This is due to the fact of it being quite simple in design so I dont find it very noticeable or striking. The only reason you would recognise the particular brand is because the name is clearly stated in the logo. After analysing this logo I have been able to find more reason why I want my logo and brand name to be striking and memorable.

Obey – This is an example of a brand that’s name and logo has worked very successfully in the progression of their company becoming one of the most worn brands amongst young males at the moment in popular culture. The name, makes you think you must have and must wear garments from the company. The stencilled face by the artist Shepard Fairey makes the brand recognisable by vast numbers of people just from that one simple image. The design is done by the graffiti artist Shepard Fairey, the stencil design helps get across the brands message of that their garments are intended as street wear.

Stussy – This is my favourite brand-name and logo out of all the brands I looked into. This is because of the infamous style of font they use for the brand-name itself – a graffitti-esque font making the brand relatable to street wear, and being a skateboarding brand this is what they intended. The combination of an eye-catching brand-name and font with an interesting logo featuring the mirrored S’s which is the creators initials (Shawn Stussy) makes the brand all the more memorable. This shows if I focus on creating an interesting brand-name and logo, this can make the brand become more well known and recognisable.

We Can Be Heroes (WCBH) – I like the logo for this brand as it is relatable to their intention to be a streetwear brand, however I dont really like the name itself. This is an example of a logo working well, but not so much with the actual name.

Diamond Supply – This brand-name works really well as it is memorable but also gets their point across of their brand being a high-quality expensive brand to be seen wearing. I really like the actual logo, it is simple in its first glance, but the actual design is quite complex. This shows a complex design working so well it almost looks ‘easy’ to create. This effortless appearance of a design is a method I could focus on for my own photos, to appear simple at first glance, but when you look closely there is a lot more detail and features within the image.

After analysing several brands and logos I have been able to gather ideas of how I do and do not want my brand-name and logo to appear. For my own project I want to use a fairly simple brand-name, one worded and a simple yet interesting font style and I may or may not use a logo as well as a brand-name. To compliment my black and white images on the t-shirts, I will use just black and white for my logo/brand-name.

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Trying to think of a suitable muse for my brand seems almost impossible. I want the muse to be alternative in appearance, but also have an interesting personality that shines through both his style and interests. I stumbled across this … Continue reading →

To gather further knowledge on plain t-shirts featuring black and white photographic prints, I looked into the infamous skate brand Vans. These t-shirts I have shown are from their latest collection online. I wanted to look into a well-known brand to both gather more ideas for my own photos but also ensure none of the major clothing brands famous for printed t-shirts, are doing anything similar to my own ideas.

Legends Stecyk Tee – This is one of my favourite t-shirts I have looked at featuring a person rather than just abstract photography which is what I will focus on. I like the contrast between the dark floor and the light sky, with the dark helmet, hair and jeans of the skateboarder. Lots of contrast with objects within the image is something I could look into for my photos.

OTW Gallery Jai Tanju Camera Tee – I really like the simplicity of this image due to the layout of the content, but also the square photo with the content central within the image. I also like the placement of the image on the t-shirt. I think this heavy focus on a simple photo with a simple and obvious image placement on the t-shirt is an idea I could consider for my project.

Wheelin’ Tee – This is my least favourite t-shirt out of the three as I feel I have seen similar designs on a few other brands/designers. I feel it is one of these images that is created to be liked by the masses and popular amongst a large audience. I want to create photos that are different and not necessarily liked by everyone who sees them. I want my photos to provoke different feelings and reactions, both of approval and disapproval.

After researching another brand which sells black and white photographic tees, I have been able to gather further knowledge on what I do and don’t want my images to appear like, but also I have been able to discover what reactions I want to achieve with the viewers.

I wanted to further research into the skateboarding brand HUF as I discovered they did a photographic collection featuring several black and white photos on plain t-shirts. I have included all the black and white photo tees from the 10th anniversary collection to help inspire my own images. Whilst most of the images feature people rather than objects, there are techniques within the photos that I can possibly use for my own images.

Atiba Jefferson – This image is successful in showcasing this particular skateboarder, however I do not find it overly eye-catching. I think this is because I have seen images similar to this before. However, I do like the layout of the photo with the top half containing the skateboarder, and the bottom a plain wall and skate ramp. This concept of concentrating on halves within a photo is something I could use for my photos.

Skin Phillips – I like that this t-shirt features a slightly more abstract image than some of the others, as this is more relevant to my own project and the type of images I wish to use for my t-shirts. I also like the physical composition within the image, with the skateboarder, Mark Gonzales, looking through the fixture a little off centre, makes the photo more unusual to the dead centre layout of many photos on printed t-shirts. However I don’t think the blackness of the rectangular fixture combine with the lightness of the surroundings works that well. Composition and attention to light and dark within my photos is something I can draw from analysing this particular t-shirt.

Dennis McGrath – I do like this image in photography terms, and I think it works well printed onto a t-shirt, however there is not much I can draw from this particular t-shirt to relate to my project. Specifically about this image I like the lightness of the skateboarder within the photo, all apart from the feet and the skateboard.

Bryce Kanights – This is one of my favourite t-shirts out of the selection included, this is due to obvious usage of the rule of thirds. The pale sky combined with the darker and geometric railings in the middle and then again with a pale floor and bottom third. This concentration in the middle using tone and a busier middle section creates focus to the skateboarder (Keith Hugnagel) and the impressive trick he is performing (a very high ollie onto railing) is a very clever method in making an eye-catching and memorable image.

Mike O’Meally – Again I really like the subject content of the image displayed on this t-shirt, mainly because of what is actually happening within the photo. Nevertheless, the photo isn’t that relevant into what direction I want my t-shirt designs to go in.

Lance Dawes – Again I like the subject content of the photo on this t-shirt but also the angle in which it has been taken. The angle of the windowed wall adds a hint of the image being abstract. This attention to an obvious angle focus being a main feature within an image is a technique I could consider for my own photos, as the outcome is quite striking and noticeable.

Joe Brooks – As this is the most abstract image within the collection (out of the black and white images within the collection), it is most relevant to my project. I really like the composition and subject content of the photo due to the prominent use of rule of thirds, but also the fact that you can’t necessarily tell what is featured in the image straight away. Regarding the rule of thirds in this image I specifically like that light and dark has been used to create this use of the rule. This extreme contrast of light and dark is a technique I could focus on for my own photos.

After analysing all the black and white photographic t-shirts within this collection, I have been able to gather further information and ideas to inspire creative and memorable black and white abstract photos.

Progressing with my t-shirt project, I chose to research several sort-of-well-known clothing brands which heavily focus on t-shirts being their main product to be sold. I looked into the brands which sold t-shirts featuring high-quality black and white images, and then used four of my favourite t-shirts but also most relevant to my own project.

Chocolate – Whilst I do not necessarily plan to use photos of scenery within my own project, I like the smaller size of the image but also the placement. However, I do not like the use of their brand name within the actual photo as I feel this detracts focus on the photo itself. Considering placement and size of image on the t-shirt is something I will think about for my t-shirts.

HUF – From a skate brand point of view HUF is one of my preferred brands. This is because they produce t-shirts like this with high-quality photos which have substance. I love the layout of the photo and content, however I do not want to include sport or people within my own images. This is due to the fact I want to focus on a more abstract and distorted image collection. I do like the use of a larger image on the t-shirt, but I do not really like the portrait layout.

Etudes – This design is particularly relevant to my project as the image is black and white, simple and uses everyday objects to create an effective photo. Whilst I like the simplicity and use of an everyday object, I want my own images to be much more abstract and almost impossible to tell what the original object in the photo is. I will consider simplicity within an image for my own project.

The Quiet Life – This t-shirt features the most abstract image, which is relevant to my project, but again I do not want to use people within my own images. As an abstract more unusual photo on a t-shirt, it works well with its pure simplicity and the layout. A small, abstract image is something I will consider for my own t-shirts.

After researching the few brands that do t-shirts with high-quality black and white images I have gathered some information on what I do and do not want to feature within my t-shirts. I will go on to research certain brands and websites that will be suitable for my project development.

I chose to look more in depth into two specific black and white photographers that caught my eye whilst researching suitable photographers that I could relate to my own project involving black and white photography.

The first photographer Chris Marker interested me due to the way he portrays a subject using an un-focused technique to create an interesting image but also polar opposite subjects within the same image to create a striking look, such as the elderly woman and the car crash. I really like this idea of using a technique to create an ‘imperfect’ image such as through the out of focus method.

The second photographer Ansel Adams is of course infamous in the photography world, however this particular book featuring black and white photography contains several interesting images of both people and objects. I chose to just feature the abstract images of every day objects such as glass and a bike, as the photos have been taken in a way to make the overall look of the image much more interesting. This has been done through close-ups of the objects to make the image more interesting and eye-catching rather than just standard photos of standard objects.

Both photographers can help me with my own photos as I can take certain methods they use within these particular images to create an interesting, black and white, abstract picture.

As I want to print black and white abstract photos on my t-shirts, I have looked into a few photographers who are doing this already. I included these photographers as I like certain aspects of the images they took and want to consider these aspects for my own photos.

Bats –

I like this image because of the mixture of focus and out of focus to create an ethereal feel and more life like, as if the pegs are indeed actually bats. The extreme blackness of the pegs and washing line combined with the light and ‘fluffy’ cloud background.

Casting Shadows –

This is my favourite image i have included, due to its simplicity of just focus on the stairs and the shadows they create, concentrating on shadow and a simple image subject is something I will consider for my own images.

Seven –

Again in this image, there is heavy focus on shadow but has been used much more differently, there is so much shadow, the photographer has concentrated on the negative subject within the image. Concentrating on a lot of shadow to highlight interesting features of an object is something I will consider.

Metal Plates –

This photo was taken for an abstract photography competition, and was my favourite image within the collection. The extreme focus on something so ordinary, but using light, shadow and angles to create and interesting image is what I want to base my own images upon. Texture is also very important within the image and is another aspect I could focus on for my images.

These images will help inspire my own photos, but also help with what I do not want to create. Some of these images appear quite commercial and easily viewed by anyone, I want my images to look more ‘handmade’ and rough, not so perfect or edited as I do not want my brand to come across as ‘perfect’ or airbrushed. I want a more ‘raw’ aesthetic.

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me

Arts University College Bournemouth student, Fashion Design and Technology. I like weird things, therefore I am weird. Originate from Bristol, no I do not speak like a farmer. However I am proud to be Bristolian. Coffee, unicorns, Hello Kitty, Vans, Lipstick, Neon, shopping, glitter, Gaga, prints...